#and by 'when he wants to be' i mean 'when susie's distressed'

[giantchasm]

So I've seen a lot of people posting their Kirby fankids recently...

And so I figured I should finally try and post some of mine! I've had them for a while now, but I've been too lazy to talk about them on Tumblr. Let's change that by making a post about my favorite out of all of them... my special little princess... my beautiful skrunkly.

Everyone, I'd like you to meet Peony!

She is, of course, my Taransusie fankid. She came into existence because I was playing Tomodachi Life and I got attached Taranza offhandedly mentioned that it would be nice to have a family one day and Susie just kind of nodded along but her internal reaction was a strong 'ABSOLUTELY NOT.'

This reaction... unnerved her, to say the least. She didn't understand why she felt so strongly about this. It's not that she didn't like kids. She liked Kirby plenty! And so why...?

Oh stars, it had to do with her dad, didn't it?

Her own unfulfilled childhood. Her resentment for her father. A fear that inevitably she'd fail as a parent in the same exact ways he did.

Realizing this was what was holding her back, Susie proceeded to get extremely angry. Why the hell was her dad still influencing the decisions she was making? He was long gone! She wouldn't let him make her hesitant or boss her around. She wasn't afraid. She could do WAY better than him. In fact, she would make a great mom! She'd show him.

The next thing she knew she was holding a baby she'd grown in a test tube.

Susie pretty much immediately realized she fucked up the minute this thing started moving. She didn't have anything to take care of her. Not even a blanket to bundle her in. What was she THINKING? Did she seriously make a living being out of spite? Maybe that would have been acceptable during her ‘Yeah, sure. I’ll do whatever evil thing I want’ era. But now? It was pretty apparent she made a mistake that she couldn’t take back.

Thankfully Taranza was… mostly understanding? I mean, he was surprised, of course, and he had to be like “SUSIE. Never do something like this again. ESPECIALLY without talking to me about it,” but when she explained he understood why she reacted the way that she did. Plus, as unexpected as this all was, he pretty much instantly fell in love with little Peony.

Which is to say nowadays they’re a pretty happy family! Peony is 8ish and things are going great. That is… except for one teensy, weensy, SLIGHT problem.

There was an incident wherein Peony almost died, and following it, she’s started seeing ghosts. This would be alarming under ANY circumstances, but with her family especially?

…Hoo boy.

Further explanation under the cut, since this is long enough as is

First of all, I figure I should probably explain the circumstances of Peony’s near-death experience. It was all sort of a freak accident. One day, Susie had to perform some inspections at the Works Company, and no-one else was available to watch Peony, so she was just like, “Well. She’s a well-behaved kid. I’ll bring her along. What’s the worst that can happen?”

The ‘worst that could happen’ was her child being fed to an industrial meat grinder. All it took was looking away for ooooneeee second. Peony leaned a little too close to one of the company’s machines, fell, and the next thing Susie knew, she heard screaming.

She. Was. Horrified. She scrambled to shut off the machine, but it was too late. Peony was already hurt. Really hurt. She pulled her broken body from the machine, but there wasn’t much else she could do. She pretty much just had to call Taranza, explain what horrifying thing happened, and then wait for him, a person with actual experience using Soul and healing magic to get there before it was too late.

I cannot explain enough how distressing this was. Susie is someone who isn’t used to feeling helpless. She’s in control in pretty much every situation. But sitting there, holding her actively dying daughter, she had none of that usual control. Despite herself, she couldn’t let her mind wander back to that person. The one that she was thinking about when she first made Peony. She said she’d do better than he did, but…

If Peony were to die now, they’d be the exact same.

Even once Taranza arrived, they weren’t exactly out of the woods. He completely panicked, presented with the idea of losing another loved one, and his attempts to stabilize her were sloppy and desperate. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to find her spirit to tether back to her body with his magic. Was it… already too late?

That’s when it felt as if something was passed off to him. Her spirit practically shoved into the metaphorical hands of his mind’s eye. It didn’t make any sense— it felt as if someone had intervened, but he didn’t question it. He took the stroke of luck as it came, and just barely he was able to stabilize Peony.

…She was hurt, but alive.

When she came to, her family was relieved, but she revealed something strange. When she was on the brink between life and death, she swore she was helped by two mysterious strangers. They comforted her, helped her calm down, and helped her get back to her body.

She described them as a ‘pretty lady’ and a ‘funny old man.’

Taranza and Susie weren’t sure what to make of this. It… couldn’t be, could it? But from thereon out, Peony continued to see these strangers, as well as develop more spectral powers.

You see… Peony is half Neumann— the same species her mom is. Her mom doesn’t have any magic abilities thanks to her cybernetics, but archetypically the species is susceptible to being… overloaded with a certain type of magic, especially when in life or death situations. Look at the Mage Sisters, for example. When on the brink of death themselves, they ended up becoming one with the elements that nearly killed them.

It was the same for Peony. A perfect storm, really. The Arachnid’s predisposition for Soul magic combined with the Neumann’s ability to soak up magic made for a very unique set of circumstances. And so when her dad used Soul magic to heal her, and some spirits perhaps stepped in to save her life…

Peony was overwhelmed. She developed an unnatural connection to the dead.

That said, Peony’s ‘guardian angels’ weeereeennn’t exactly supposed to do what they did. The rules of life and death are very strict. Particularly powerful spirits are allowed to remain wandering if they have unfinished business, but they are NOT to mess with mortal lives.

The arbitrator of life and death was outraged. It said it should whisk the two of them to Hades for their audacity! But this, too, was something Peony overheard, and she rushed to intervene. She begged Morpho Knight not to punish the mysterious strangers who helped her. If if was her who was supposed to die, shouldn’t she have been punished instead? She said she’d take their place.

…She didn’t know they were her granddad and her father’s long lost friend at the time. She just knew they’d helped her out, even though they didn’t know her. She had to return the favor.

Morpho Knight tested her conviction. It made it seem as if it was really going to go through with reaping her, but when she didn’t back down, it relented. It… couldn’t whisk away an innocent child. Perhaps all the time spent watching over Kirby was making it go soft. It allowed Peony to have her way. Truthfully, with the abilities she developed, the boundary between life and death for her family was already going to thin anyways. It would watch and see where this went.

Nowadays, Peony and the ghosts are best friends. She’s learned of their origins, and given a bit of an ego boost from her unlikely survival, she’s promised one day she’ll bring them back to life. This is something that is NOT going to happen, but at the moment she’s convinced she’s invincible— that she has unique, unmatched power and can do anything she wants to.

Her parents are… hardly sure what to make of all this. It’s difficult to believe, really. But the more Peony talks about her brand new friends, the harder it is to deny her uncanny knowledge. And that means old wounds are reopening as they grapple with the complicated implications of the very flawed people they lost not only entering their child’s life but, in a way, reentering theirs.

…But that’s a story for another day. I figure I’ve probably talked enough. All you need to know is god complex spirit medium spider girl. I hope everyone else likes her as much as I do.

[tysonfurybattlepass]

Do Lancer! (and Jigen if you want to?)

lancer!!

first impression- oh a Creature of some sort indeed we love to see it

how i feel now- screaming and crying and throwing up and falling down the stairs and wailing because i cant give him a fruit rollup irl life is so fucking cruel and he is just such a good kid i think he deserves lots of snacks and positive words from the people he cares about

favorite moment- i mean he’s objectively the funniest character in the game. all his moments are top tier but i think the one that got me most was the susie fight. it’s not my favorite per se because it was like the second most distressing and upsetting thing to come out of that chapter BUT. it said so much about lancer as a person that he’s so mature and so brave and still refused to hurt anybody because he really fucking believed that if he took enough of the blows from both sides that nobody else would get hurt. shit fucked me up man, he’s too young to have that kind of weight on him.

idea for a story- oh so many. i think, though, that in my “city of the dead” fan chapter, lancer and ralsei would be the main characters because i would love to see them get the spotlight. lancer plays a pivotal role in that narrative because his empathy and genuine nature are what finally allows leo to both be vulnerable and to face the hurt she’s causing on her crusade to liberate her darkner army through the roaring.

unpopular opinion- i am about to be burned at the stake but uhhhhh lets just say 10 to life for spade is on the table in my opinion. i would know, i do combat sports competitively so i’m fully aware of u.s. legislature regarding what constitutes assault and/or battery outside the context of a sanctioned event.

favorite relationship- i mean obv his friendship with susie is so important both narratively and for them as people but i also really like that he and kris seem to be tight too! lets not forget that kris laid down their life for him when it came down to the wire. and now, lancer feels content and safe to hang out with them in their pocket for adventures! i think thats wonderful. weird fluffy ipad cousin

favorite headcanon- buppy lancer my beloved. sorry he is buppouy. even if it turns out the blue hood is actually just his head he’s still pippiy but just with a weird head. also left-handed <3

[thesomewhatliterateaxolotl]

I bring you: more sibling hugs! @ohtobeascruntycat requested #18 with Iris and Ryuu or #42 with Kazuma and Susato for the hug prompts. The next prompt is also Kazuma and Susato, so I went with the Iris and Ryuu one this time! Resolve spoilers ahead

i.

For a girl of her age—no, for anyone —Iris possessed a profound emotional intelligence. 

Iris could pick up on the most subtle of ways in which people revealed their distress. She found joy in uplifting their spirits, whether by sharing a cup of tea with them or by sewing them something unique. She would often brew an energizing blend on days when Runo and Susie went to court, then capture them in a hug. The action caught them by surprise in the beginning, but was never unwelcome.

But not all situations were so serious.

For instance, there was that morning—the days had begun to blur together, but it must have been a week since Lord Stronghart had banned him from legal practice—when she tiptoed into Ryuunosuke’s room and shook him awake, requesting that he do her hair. Iris was an early bird, and the first peach-hued rays of light had only just begun to stream through the window. 

Reminded of the last time he was shaken awake at an early hour, Ryuunosuke shot out of bed immediately.

As it happened, this was no emergency by any means—but Ryuunosuke couldn’t turn down her request, not when she looked up at him with that pleading pout.

“Hurley or Susie do it normally, but Susie isn’t here…” she said, clasping her hands together. “And Hurley didn’t stay in bed yesterday like he was supposed to. He needs lots of rest!”

So, as Iris sat on the bed, Ryuunosuke stifled a yawn (or several, rather) and brushed out her long hair. They fell into peaceful silence, and before long, Ryuu found himself calmed by the process. 

The actual styling was far more elaborate. “I’d never even heard of a mobius strip until today,” he admitted. “Ka—my best friend would’ve been so much better at this, I think.”

Iris hummed thoughtfully. “You know…” she said, “if you want to, you can just do a different hairstyle. I like trying new ones!”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course! You can do it, Runo.” 

At Iris’ heartening smile, he managed to style her hair into plaits, leaving just a few curls loose. He then arranged the plaits atop her head in an updo and pinned them in place. It required a mountain of hairpins, but by the end, Iris was admiring his work with a shine in her eyes. “You’re a lovely hairstylist, Runo!”

That certainly wasn’t a title he’d predicted earning in London, but it brought a proud grin to his face all the same.

ii.

“C’mon, Runo. Just once!”

“Erm, look, I don’t even know that many English songs—”

“That’s okay! We have a few here, actually.”

“Well, I, you see—”

“Coward! Jus’ do it once, ‘Oddo!”

“Mr. Naruhodo, surely you did not think we would forget your singing abilities so soon.”

“OBJECTION! That was di—”

“—If I may, Mr. Naruhodo, he's right. You did sing ‘London Bridge’ quite nicely that time!”

Iris squeezed his hand. “See? You’re good at it! I’ll join in, if you want.”

At this, Ryuunosuke paused, putting a hand to his chin. “...Okay. Just one!”

The others cheered him on. Ryuunosuke’s voice filled the room first, followed by Iris’. As their audience applauded, a blush rose to Ryuunosuke’s cheeks; being put on the spot was much different from singing spontaneously! Before long, though, the others had joined in with varying degrees of shrillness.

(He would have it no other way.)

iii.

“Um…Iris? I’m always told I look suspicious enough as is.”

Iris shook her head, too immersed to respond. She was sewing the last button onto the cloak part of Ryuunosuke’s costume. Runo’s worries were exactly why she chose a navy fabric in the first place; it was just subtly different enough from his black school uniform, or gakuran as he called it, to fit the air of mystery surrounding the occasion whilst remaining within his comfort zone. Furthermore, her Japanese family and friends had already missed their first Halloween celebration due to the Reaper case. There was no way she was letting it slip by them this year!

With the button fixed in place, Iris bounced to her feet. She draped the cloak over Runo’s shoulders, grabbed the cone-shaped hat, and set it atop his head. “There!” 

Runo contemplated his reflection in the mirror for a good two minutes, tilting his head in confusion. Iris stifled a giggle at his bewilderment.

Ryuunosuke chuckled. “I look like…a gnome of some sort?” He reached up to fiddle with the pointy maroon hat. Its whimsy suited him, Iris thought. 

“Well,” he continued, “it’s a funny look, but it’s meant to be that way, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yes! That’s half the fun of the holiday.” 

“I still feel silly,” Runo said. Iris caught the slight bounce in his intonation that, after knowing him for months, she now understood indicated that he didn’t mind quite that much. For someone who was always pointing his finger at people and prying apart their contradictions in court, Runo had his moments of awkwardness. But didn’t everyone? 

Iris squeezed his hand. 

“You think so? Just wait till you see mine and Susie’s!”

In the mirror, she caught Runo’s smile. His shoulders straightened, a sign he felt just a little more confident. 

A draft rattled the window, which had been open to let in the autumnal breeze. Runo jumped at the sound, sending the pointy hat tumbling to the floor with a thunk and leaving the two doubled in laughter.

iv.

Iris Wilson. She must’ve been five or six years old when she took that name for herself, but it seemed not to fit anymore. 

Sure, Dr. John H. Wilson had become a significant part of her life, and it did make her very sad to find out that he had died. But…to think the man lived his entire life without knowing who she was, without even knowing her father the way she had thought…

Iris would often catch her mind drifting to the topic of her name. It seemed small, yet the hesitations she would make when introducing herself or signing letters to Runo and Susie felt significant in their way. She knew Hurley noticed it, too; he was happy to provide company at these times, but he didn’t pry. Not out of insensitivity, but because this was Iris’ own choice to make.

It was through such introspection that Iris noted two things. Firstly, her dilemma over the name had nothing to do with a lack of blood relation to Dr. Wilson. Hurley had apologised to her and promised her that, if she wanted to know, he would soon tell her about her biological parents’ identities. Iris had a hunch as to who they were, but whether it was true or not, the expectation that one’s name—first or last—should be beyond their control truly confounded her. 

Secondly, deep down Iris knew what she wanted her name to be. 

It was a name she associated not with a daydream of who her parents might have been, but with a concrete, unconditionally loving presence in her life that she wouldn’t trade for the world. She didn’t aspire to be like Herlock Sholmes the way she’d aspired to be like John Wilson; instead they learned from each other, bounced off of each other’s quirks and talents, and that felt a thousand times more real.

But even armed with her usual optimism, certain doubts still played on her mind. What if they wouldn’t let her change it at the office, given the unconventional nature of her family? 

“Iris?” It was Runo’s voice, drifting from the doorway leading to the kitchen.

Oh dear! 

Iris jumped. She’d gotten distracted over breakfast. Her tea and omelette had gone cold, the sun was now shining directly into her eyes from the window opposite, and everyone—well, everyone but Runo—had already left.

Runo walked back to the dining table, where he began to stack up the plates.“It’s our turn to do the dishes, if you forgot,” he said. He paused to look at her, a sweet smile on his face. “Is everything alright?”

It was almost automatic, the way Iris restored her usual demeanour. “Oh, I’m okay!”

Runo frowned at that. 

(Okay, maybe that was too suspicious. At this rate, he’ll start a Logic and Reasoning Spectacular on me…)

Iris deflated. Runo knew her so well now; it wasn’t like her to lose confidence or focus like that. “I’m just…pondering a big decision, that’s all,” she said with a little sigh.

Runo sat back down. He rested his cheek on his hand. “Well, I do have some experience with that. Is there any way I can help?”

“It’s just…you see…” Iris paused. The right words weren’t coming to her.

As it turned out, they didn’t have to. Runo’s face lit up. “Wait! Don’t tell me. You are thinking…about your surname, is that correct?” 

And there was that proud smile! He even held up a finger toward his temple. 

“Oh, Runo!” All tension fell away from Iris’ mind. “I’m so proud!”

“It was simple,” Runo said, but there was still a sparkle in his eyes. Pushing the dishes aside, he walked over to Iris and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. “...it’s your decision, Iris. If you ask me, you have no obligation to choose one or the other.”

Iris took a deep breath. Runo didn’t often see it in himself, but he was wise. Well, most of the time.

“Honestly, I know what name I want to choose. I want to be a Sholmes.” She offered a brave smile. “I know it isn’t like me to be nervous, but it’s almost scary somehow. Because of how long I spent being a Wilson. And yet…

“....yet, even then…I’m really sure.”

Runo listened intently. For a minute, he didn’t respond.

Iris was just about to apologise for being such a bother—Runo was so busy, after all—when he swooped forward and lifted Iris into his arms. The motion took slight difficulty, given how tall she’d grown this year, but he was surprisingly strong. “Then do it!”

Iris could cry. “Will you go to the office with me?”

“I’m sure Mr. Sholmes will go with you, of course, as your guardian,” he said, “but I’ll join, too. You have all of us.”

She was so lucky, Iris thought. No conventional, ‘socially respectable’ family could hold a candle to the one she had.

Overcome with relief, she hugged him back. Maybe it was silly to feel anxious when she knew so strongly what she wanted, but Runo didn’t judge her for it. He understood.

“I love you,” she said. “...Wait. You don’t really say that often in Japanese, right?”

Ryuunosuke hummed. “We demonstrate our love in other ways most of the time. But I think,” he mused, freeing one arm to stack the teacups and saucers, “regardless of the words we use, the sentiment is the same.”

“Hmm. Language is funny like that.”

“But Iris?”

“Yes?”

Runo’s voice was soft. It barely rose over the sound of clinking dishes and the chatter from the sitting room, but the words were unmistakable.

“I love you too. So, so much.”

[markiafc]

@ future self to consume more films / shows / books and figure this out.

i think i really love characters that pair perfectly with violence. or it's more accurate to say: these characters are terrorized by cruel forces and they suffer so terribly. but they are so beautiful in their agony, its the most appealing version of them even. something about the story, or the authorial style, or the filmmaking, or the performance an actor gives, etc. it almost makes me understand why the horrors just won't let them go. why they're the prime targets. i can see the allure behind why anyone would want to hurt them in the first place; because their anguish is so absolute, so gratifying, you can nearly get high off their pain.

and the reality is that they don't deserve it. there is just something in the execution that sells the delusion so well - they're tempting like a punching bag is tempting. and i get caught up in their awful, insular, irrational orbit where unbearable suffering is destiny. where it almost feels appropriate because misery makes them glow.

it seems counterintuitive. but when these characters come across as breathtaking in their torment, it breaks my heart even more. it's just so fucking sad and i'm not sure why.

i mean, i'm so attached to the 291378294 scenes where xdq begs on his knees for his father to protect him just this once. the ugly crying, the utter self-debasement, the most pathetic we ever see him. and i think he's so desirable in those moments. i love him most when he's barely a human being.

tommy is an obvious one too. when he doesn't die in the barren field and has to walk his way home, devastated. he is captivating in those moments of great distress from the early seasons to the end. all the antagonists can't seem to get enough of him and at times i feel like i know why.

and andrew.... the overt sadomasochistic themes make it so that his lowest points are sexual, are erotic, are attractive. the worst things to ever happen in his life ruined him. but by doing so, they rendered him irresistible to eddie. even his ghost keeps coming back for more and it's pleasurable for andrew every time.

how thoroughly enchanting lucy looks in bed at the end of nosferatu the vampyre 1979. the way blanc is charmed by the soft-spoken and infatuated susie in suspiria 2018. the predatory fascination hannibal has with will in earlier seasons and what's not seductive about will to a man like hannibal! the list goes on.

[ask-joeydrewstudios]

Sammy and susie fluff pls! Ideas; -sammy notices susie is stressed out with work and so decides to dance with her in the studio (it cheers her up!) - susie notices sammy has been working long hours to finish up a deadline, she finds him the following evening fallen asleep at his desk. She finds and puts a blanket on him and a note to take a break - just a general sammy enjoying listening to susie sing~ Can't wait to see what you write~

((i am so sorry this took so long for me to get around to posting oh my god. i can be such a perfectionist with my writing OTL anyway back to the fic itself: fluff. fluff. this is Pure Fluff. i just wanted to write fluff. I might write that second one at some point, but for now have the first one. here it is on AO3 as well. ENJOY!))

   It wasn’t unusual for the door to Sammy’s office to be thrown open in a fuss. Usually he was the one doing the throwing, but sometimes it was from the whiny janitor, or the eldest of the living toon trio, or a frustrated band member coming to throw the pump switch to take care of some misplaced ink. They’d enter, do what they came to do, he’d tell them off for disturbing him, they’d leave. When his door was thrown open today, he didn’t expect it to be any different. As the wooden frame struck the wall behind it with a loud BANG, Sammy jumped. Before he could even turn around to scold the person, he could hear the clicking of heals on his office floor and the hoarse voice of Susie Campbell already endlessly ranting to him. She was the one person he could never be mad at, at least not for long.

  “Sammy these deadlines are absolutely ridiculous! I’ve been working here for three years, THREE YEARS, and I’ve never recorded so much as I have in this past week!” She started. She sounded about ready to cry, which broke his heart. He didn’t give the unfinished, now unimportant sheet music that scattered his desk another thought as he turned around in his chair, leaning on the back rest with his arms.

   “I’ve been recording so much, I’m starting to lose my voice… All I’ve done today is record, all I did yesterday was record, all I’ve done this whole damn week is record record record, and at this point if I don’t get a break soon… I’m afraid I’ll actually lose my voice! I can’t lose my voice! I’m a voice actress, Sammy! That’s what I do!”

  Sammy nodded along to her rant, snuffing out his cigarette in the ash tray andflicking the dial of the radio on his desk. It hissed with static briefly before the slow jazz came through.

  “If I lose my voice, I wont be able to work here anymore! I wouldn’t be able to work anywhere! What good’s a voice actress that can’t talk!?”

  Her ranting continued as he stood and sauntered over to her, hands in his pockets.

  “My entire career is going to be over just because Joey Drew couldn’t give us a more lenient deadline and I worked my voice into exhaustion!”

  Now she looked about ready to cry. There were dots of tears in the corners of her eyes, and she was biting her lip. He slipped his hands out of his pockets and into her own, and he began to hum along to the tune of the radio.

  “…Sammy, what on earth are you doing?”

  “Dancing with you.” He murmured.

  “This isn’t the time for a dance…”

  “Sure it is. If you didn’t want to dance, you would have left by now.”

  She hesitated. He was right, if she truly didn’t want to dance she would have left when he turned on the radio. With a sigh, she draped her arms around him, and he did the same. While the radio droned on, they slow danced. She buried her face in his shoulder and he rested his head on hers and kept humming. When she began to sob, he held her tighter and ran his fingers through her golden curls, but he didn’t stop dancing. Neither of them did.

  The song ended, and another one began. When that one ended, yet another one played. They danced the whole time through, Sammy humming for most of it to help calm her down. As they neared the end of the third song, he realized she was no longer sobbing - she now rested her head gently on his chest, head tucked under his. Just as the song finished, he gracefully dipped her. Her sparkling blue eyes pierced straight through his very soul, and before he could pull her back up again she pushed her lips against his.

  He felt his face flush, but he kissed her back for a brief moment before standing her back up and finally stopping their little dance.

  “Feeling a little better?” He asked. She gave a nod and a meager smile.

  “Good. I’ll have to talk to Joey later about the schedule, I can’t have my darling little Susiebell losing her voice now can I? In the meantime… get yourself some water, enjoy your break, and… try not to talk too much.”

  With a pat on the head and a kiss on the cheek, he sent her on her way. There wasn’t much for her to do with herself if she couldn’t work or talk, so she got some water and relaxed in the break room, counting the seconds until her next recording session… she hadn’t dreaded her job so much since she auditioned.

  Suddenly there was a commotion from outside the break room door. She turned her attention up the stairs just in time to see her boss yelling at someone with the door open.

  “I’m going right NOW, Lawrence! Oi vey…” He muttered nonsense to himself as he came down the stars, scanning the large area for a moment before finding her and walking over.

  “Ah, Susie! It’s… been brought to my attention that your schedule for this week is a bit…”

  “Absurd?” She interjected, her voice cracking.

  “Yes, well, that’s certainly a word for it…” Joey nervously clapped his hands together. “Regardless, it’s been advised that I rearrange some things, not just for your comfort but for your health as well. That being said, Lawrence and I have managed to pull some strings-”

  “That was ALMOST ENTIRELY MY DOING, DREW.” Sammy yelled from the hallway beyond the door.

  “…Okay, fine. It was mostly Sammy, but the point of the matter is that you now have tomorrow off. In addition to that, your remaining sessions have been spaced out so that they now run into next week - that gives you more time to rest up between them. I’m also looking into rescheduling some of your smaller roles to some other voice actors, so you have less work to strain yourself over.”

  Her eyes lit up. Had Sammy really gone to all this trouble moving schedules around just so she didn’t burn herself out? He’d never do this for the band, or the other voice actors…

  “And… in the future, I’ll have to be a little more… considerate when setting these deadlines and assigning roles. As Sammy said, we certainly can’t have one of our best voice actresses losing her voice.”

  She smirked. With the tone in his voice, she could tell Sammy really went off on him. Joey was sweet enough, but sometimes he deserved a bit of a reality check.

  “So unless you have any reservations…” he began.

  “None at all, these changes sound lovely.”

  “Wonderful. I suppose I wont be seeing you tomorrow, then. Enjoy your break, Miss Campbell!” He smiled at her and then left. There was a brief exchange of words from behind the breakroom door before Sammy came down the stairs and sat at the table with her. She slid her hand into his over the table.

  “Thank you, Sammy.”

  “You’re welcome, dear.”

[please don’t repost to other websites!]

[hooterhorror]

could you do michael myers and thomas hewitt with an s/o who's big family is a little overprotective? and by big family i mean a lot of siblings while the s/o is a middle child

AS SOMEONE WHO HAS A HUGE ITALIAN FAMILY THIS SCRATCHES A CERTAIN ITCH IN MY BRAIN

I hope this is good!!

Michael Myers and Thomas Hewitt with an s/o that has a big protective family

format: headcanons

warnings: probable cursing, not proofread.

Thomas Hewitt.

he has a larger sized family too, maybe not Greek standards of big but it could easily shock someone who's only known their parents and paternal grandparents.

he's grown up with more than enough brothers who all saw him as the baby at first, before he took on a more elder sibling role as they all grew older. to choptop though: "Tommy will always be my baby brother"

it's more likely for him to meet your family or at least some of them than it is for Michael tbh- Thomas is just a little worried what they'd think of him

and of course he worries about them finding out what his family and him are and do-

and the fact that they're all protective of you only makes him worry more- oh god, would they hate him? would they take you away from him?

if your folks ever wanna meet the Sawyer/Hewitt family, Thomas is sweating bullets when the day comes around.

his hands are so clammy when you grab them and try to comfort and call him down

"they'll love you tommy!"

[distressed Thomas sounds]

He's way more tense meeting your parents than your siblings, mainly because his brothers keep them busy-

don't worry, chop top won't steal your mom's hair while Thomas is around. and nubbins won't snap anyone's pictures without asking.

Luda Mae brags proudly about her baby Thomas to your parents, and he gets so flustered oh my GOD- his face is bright pink under his mask and he shuffles out of the room when it's too much

He shakes your father's hand and gets very embarrassed when he points out his strong grip-

feel like Thomas clicks with any of your little siblings real fast- he adores them 🥺

if you've got a literal baby sibling, Thomas is staring wide eyed at the little nugget.

wonders how your parents still keep up with all your siblings and popping more out lmfao

probably locks vilmer in the shed the entire time so he can't push any conspiracies onto anyone and make the family look like a buncha idiots.

nubbins does fling some peas at your dad's face, unfortunately.

THOMAS WAS MORTIFIED

All in all, very polite to your parents and does not judge your large family for it's size but for it's dynamics.

Michael Myers.

you told your family about HIM???

yes he's your boyfriend but before that he was and still is, a wanted mass murderer. the shape, even.

and a slew of other things, probably

if you ask him to meet them, he's shaking his head so fast and gets mad when you push the idea, and leaves the room or the house for that night.

he may show interest or shock even when he sees any family photos- wait, what do you mean that's not your entire family??

"Oh no, this isn't everyone, there's Aunt Susie in Germany, great grandma Anne in new york-"

he grabs your shoulders and silently pleads for you to stop. his brain cannot handle this madness.

if they show up randomly while he's in the house, he sneaks out the back. I don't think he's worried about how theyd like him, but just about meeting them at ALL. People's perception of him never really bothered him, but if they find out you're dating a literal murderer and try to take you away from him or wedge a wall between you two, he'll have no choice but to- wait, what do you mean they support you both and he doesn't have to kill them?

on the off chance they show up and he doesn't have a chance to leave, Michael is upstairs in your bedroom pacing while you try to urge him down to meet them- almost breaks when you tell him that there's only 20 of them there-

what makes the situation worse is that both your older and younger siblings made it clear they'd kick your boyfriend's ass if they get any bad vibes. again, Micheal would be forced to kill them if they tried that.

very uncomfortable the entire ordeal, especially because he probably doesn't keep his mask off for it and is shooting you silent looks and not looking your parents in the eye.

"so, y/n had told us you've been together for four years now. when are you gonna pop the question Mikey?"

spits his drink out all over your sister and your brothers lose their crap laughing at her and him.

leaves the room and you end up asking your family to leave.

denies cuddles that night because he's on edge still, processing what your mom and father said. proposing? seriously? Michael Myers isn't a marriage kind of guy!

maybe he'd do better the next time... if there is one.

your mom phones later to say he was quiet and Michael catches you excusing it as him having anxiety. he gave you such a look for that.

probably doesn't like your sister(s) or dad. your mom is okay because she brought a pie which he absolutely demolished, btw.

[dectech]

Puppet-Prince AU full

Puppet Prince AU Masterpost

I have decided to make a post that compiled all ideas for the Puppet-Prince AU that is far neater and more useful than the current reblog-chain-mess that as of time of writing currently serves its place.

It is a Snowgrave AU where Ralsei takes Noelle’s place and is manipulated via the use of the very same “garbage noise” phone calls that once drove Spamton to madness, and the fluffy prince seeks reassurance from the human he had grown so attached to, only to be taking advantage of and made to do terrible things in a hindered state of mind

Thanks to @spamton-kinnie, @notquitestellar, @megawesomer, @vivitheheiwa,@lordbaphomet, and anyone I forgot to mention for helping me brainstorm ideas and contributing to the AU in general. I couldn’t have gotten this far without you.

This post continues after the cut.

I first had the idea for this AU when I saw this post

(@gamethesoldier )

Afterwards, me and @spamton-kinnie brainstormed a few ideas for a Snowgrave AU revoking around Ralsei in a reblog-chain. I decided to make it its own post. The post gained traction, some more brainstorming was done because I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and now here we are

The run requires making a modified, more powerful version of the Ragger with the mallet dude in ch1. Then, in chapter 2, (somewhat similar to the salt route) the player begins the run by going to a bunch of mysterious, dark areas early on in the cyber field, having the modified Ragger equipped for Ralsei, and using the cell phone.

*you tried to make a call with the cell phone

*you hear something strange on the other end. You can’t quite make it out

Ralsei:

* what’s that? ...hearing something weird?

*... maybe I could be of assistance? I studied a whole bunch of weird darkner languages during my time in the castle!

*(plus... y’know... big ears n’ all... heheh!)

*... huh? W-what? What do you mean...?

*................................

*it... wasn’t anything you need to worry about, Kris.

*(seemed more like it was for me, to be honest)

* o-oh, uhh.... it’s nothing to worry about, Kris.

I-I’m fine, I promise!

Later on...

*You made another phone call. You hear something strange that you can’t quite make out

Ralsei:

*o-oh, Kris? Another phone call? ......Having those problems again? Do you... need me to..... uh....

*U-Um... s-sure!

*..............

*...who are you?.... n-no! Wh-wha.... oh.......

*...................................... o h............

*maybe... maybe we shouldn’t call that number anymore, alright Kris? P-... p-please?

With each phone call, Ralsei grows more and more unnerved and paranoid.

In order to maintain the route, the player must also make Kris choose options that are positive for Ralsei in all character interactions, otherwise he will grow untrustworthy of Kris, suspecting that the player controlling them has malicious intent.

If you encounter all phone calls whilst shower Ralsei in as much affection as possible, the route will be activated, with the first difference occurring when Susie and Ralsei SHOULD split up from Kris.

The scene proceeds like this (pun semi-intended)

Ralsei, having been made very uneasy and paranoid due to the phone calls and been made more comfortable around Kris, really really really wants to go with them.

Because of this, when Susie tries to drag him along with her, he resists Susie with growing stubbornness (and he does it rather violently, too), ending with him releasing a burst of light

(I always liked to imagine Ralsei could passively control light from how he seemed to completely change color when taking off his hat.)

Susie didn’t take Ralsei’s protesting seriously until he started showing serious signs of distress (as well as him getting a bit violent, of course, which was happening simultaneously), at which point she was quick to let him go. Or, at least would’ve been if Ralsei hadn’t already released the burst of light before she had the chance.

(seriously she would have let Ralsei go had it went on a split second longer and he didn’t beat her to it I cannot stress this enough)

Susie is taken aback by this, and at least somewhat hurt by it, both physically and emotionally, feeling like quite a bit like trash because it feels like she hurt her friend, as well as feeling rather isolated again all of a sudden.

“Woah, dude... uh... I’m... sorry. If... if you want to go with Kris that much then... well... you can.”

*she tries hide it a bit*

“...Uh- I’ll meet you later! Have fun with Kris ya dork!”

*it kinda works, but also kinda doesn’t

(Sorry if my writing isn’t all that good, I’m not all that good at writing dialogue)

Ralsei immediately senses that Susie is upset and wants to apologize, but she leaves before he can finish his sentence.

[insert psychological manipulation from the player #1 here]

Feeling horrible about hurting Susie’s feelings, Ralsei says

*oh, Susie! She must have been so hurt! Good lord... I feel terrible!

>*”She was going to get in the way of us”  *“it’s okay. She was forcing you to go along with her when you didn’t want to, and you panicked.”

*but-... but that’s so-! ......

*...I mean... I guess if you say so, ...I guess? She was sorta... in-cooperative last time, wasn’t she?

*.....

*...b-but I really hurt her, Kris! Not only did I hurt her emotionally, but I hurt her physically, too!

*I just can’t help feeling really bad about it, and I feel like I should feel bad about it, too.

>*”the spell protected you, use it more”    *”you probably shouldn’t have been so violent about it, but it’s okay. You panicked, and we can always make amends later”

*...I guess it could be pretty useful, huh Kris?

*...but that still doesn’t really-.......

*........nevermind

*(why was kris acting so weird right then? Is something wrong?)

*(he was so nice to me just minutes earlier, though)

*(maybe it’s nothing to worry about)

*(....for now, at least)

*Ralsei has learned “Light-Burst”

Light-Burst itself is not a seriously damaging spell, but if a significant amount of fights are finished with violence, Ralsei will learn “Focus-Shot”, where the light is concentrated onto a single fingertip (in a finger-gun formation, because the fluffy boi must have his guns), making a much more potent and dangerous version of Light-burst.

Being hit with Finger-Gun-Shot is very similar to being shot with an actual gun, and enemies defeated with it will collapse and pass out from their injuries, incapacitated.

They’ll be fine, though.... right?

(Spoilers: they definitely won’t)

Entering Cyber-city, we encounter Noelle, and she joins our team, this time with Ralsei in tow.

It is possible to do both a Snowgrave run and a Puppet-Prince run at the same time (murder-trio AU), but if you abort the puppet-prince run before encountering Noelle, Ralsei will prevent you from doing a Snowgrave route at all costs. You just get wholesome Ralsei + Noelle interactions instead.

Ralsei follows you/kris into the alleyway where Spamton’s fight occurs, and he accompanies  Kris/you through the fight, quietly drawing connections between Spamton and the phone calls in his mind. Afterwards, he shows interest in Spamton and encourages Kris to pursue the secret boss side-quest.

Upon entering Spamton’s shop, he announces that he just got two new items shipped in from a mysterious supplier just for Kris and Ralsei;

1. “Mike’s Earpiece”- “allows for the best of communication, and a constant stream of the most important updates on [Hyperlink Blocked] directly into your brain!”

(Increases Magic Efficiency, Increases Attack)

Ralsei’s dialogue upon equipping:

“Oh! So we can stay in touch better, right Kris? Thanks!

…oh I do not like the voices…

…uh- i-it’s fine, Kris! After all, why wouldn’t I trust you?”

2.”Thorned Gauntlet”-“a gauntlet covered in glowing thorns. You feel woozy wearing it”

(Increases Attack, decreases defense)

I added the Thorned Gauntlet because I saw the theory that the reason that Kris didn’t resist the Snowgrave route was because he wanted to act super out-of-character in front of Noelle so that she would realize what was happening, and they didn’t realize what the player’s true intentions were until it was too late. I feel like Kris wouldn’t have as much of a reason to go along with the player’s actions, so I wanted something to mess with their mind a bit too in order to hinder their attempts to resist. Because of this, if you don’t have the Thorned Gauntlet equipped, Puppet-Prince dialogue options won’t appear, it will just act as if you chose the aborting options by default.

______________

If you have the Thorned Gauntlet equipped for Kris, Mike’s Earpiece equipped for Ralsei, and get in a fight on the way back from Spamton’s shop, the following scene will activate

Up to this point, After finishing each battle with focus-shot (yes, I’m changing its name to focus-shot), Ralsei would go up to the collapsed enemy and give them a minor healing spell to make sure they’re okay. Not enough to get them back on their feet, mind you, but enough to give Ralsei some peace of mind.

He begins questioning the usage of Focus-Shot whatsoever, and if Kris isn’t downed in the fight, Ralsei will un-learn Focus-shot, aborting the route.

If Kris is downed in the battle and Ralsei has Mike’s Earpiece equipped, he will go berserk, with attack power drastically increasing

The fight will end with a scene where Ralsei goes up to the enemy and repeatedly beats them with the Ragger after they’ve already collapsed, blacking out, and regaining lucidity to see the enemy has vanished, faint glimmering smears of blood and dust where they once stood.

R: “h-huh? Wh-what happened? Where did they..? Did I...? N-no, I couldn’t have...”

Ralsei feels horrible about his outburst (that may or may not have ended with a casualty). He tries to justify it to himself

“This isn’t... this isn’t like me. ....Th-they tried to hurt kris... t-the voices... I-... I wasn’t myself... oh god...”

He turns to Kris for reassurance, or at least some clarity”

“Kris... was... was I.....?” He trails off

>*”you were protecting me” *”your mind was clouded, you couldn’t think rationally”

“But it feels like I went too far! And- and I was hearing all these voices, telling me to do things, bad things, like they were controlling me.... and... and...”

...

“I’m just... so... terrified, Kris. Those phone calls, the things I heard, the things I am hearing. It feels like I haven’t been able to think right in ages. It’s like I’m losing my mind.”

>*” I will protect you. I already have been”.   *”I promise it will be okay”

“Y-you’re right, thank you. I’ve felt safer around you than anyone else. It’s just....

What are we going to do?”

>*”You will protect me like I have been protecting you”   *continue our journey and try to avoid any more strange incidents

“...” it seemed, to him, like words of comfort, but something felt off. Something about how it was worded just set him off slightly

>*Proceed.    *...

“...okay, Kris.”

“Let’s go...”

Ralsei will no longer heal enemies incapacitated with Focus-Shot at the end of battles.

Susie doesn’t meet up with the rest of the party when she usually does. Instead, it seems she’s gotten herself into some sort of trouble. If you are playing an aborted Puppet-Prince route, Kris & co end up going on a side-quest to help her, but if the route remains unbroken, you are unable to do this

As the route continues, Noelle grows more and more concerned for Ralsei’s wellbeing, and more and more suspicious of Kris.

In the Berdly fight, Ralsei seriously wounds Berdly, forcing him to flee lest he be killed. and this seems to be a sort of turning point for Noelle.

The aftermath of the Spamton Neo fight, when Ralsei starts to fully begin losing his grip on reality, solidifies it.

After the Spamton Neo fight, Noelle decides to confront Kris and Ralsei about her concerns. This conversation escalates into a full-blown battle with Noelle. This battle has 2 phases: 1 the main battle, and 2. The finale.

The main battle is what it says on the tin. Noelle can be spared through ACTing (aborting the route), or the battle can be allowed to reach the finale through FIGHTing and using Focus-shot.

During the finale, Noelle collapses, wounded, but she still refuses to give up, building a shield of ice completely around her and firing consistent, low-damage attacks in a sequence similar to that of the end of the Snowgrave Neo fight. This is the player’s last chance to spare Noelle and abort the run. Alternatively, you could try and make Ralsei cast “Floodlight”.

Ralsei>MAGIC> Floodlight (fatal)1

“Wha.... what.... what do you mean... ‘floodlight’?”

Ralsei>MAGIC> Floodlight (fatal)2

“I... I don’t know... what that spell is....”

Ralsei>MAGIC> Floodlight (fatal)3

“I.. I sw- I swear! I don’t know what you’re-..............”

Ralsei>MAGIC> Floodlight (fatal)4

“............. oh no”

Ralsei>MAGIC> Floodlight (fatal)5

“Please, I... I don’t want to!”

Ralsei>MAGIC> Floodlight (fatal)6

“G-get out of my head!”

Ralsei>MAGIC> Floodlight (fatal)7

“.........Why does everything feel so... strange?”

Ralsei>MAGIC> Floodlight (fatal)8

“...I can’t.... seem to... think”

Ralsei>MAGIC> Floodlight (fatal)9

“...what’s... happening...?”

Ralsei>MAGIC> Floodlight (fatal)10

“...p- please! ........... please....”

Ralsei>MAGIC> Floodlight (fatal)11

“.......................................”

Ralsei>MAGIC> Floodlight (fatal)12

Ralsei cast Floodlight

Ralsei floats up into the air like a corpse tied to balloons, his eyes glowing. Extremely bright beams of light and particles of magic start rapidly emanating from his body and flood the room, twisting in elegant patterns. Noelle’s ice-shield backfires as the frozen crystals concentrate the light and magic inwards, acting like an oven and burning her alive and killing her after a few brief-yet-agonizingly-long moments.

“Wha... what happened...? It was so bright... I couldn’t see-...”

Ralsei spots the large glowing ball of swirling light in front of him, containing the silhouette of Noelle’s body, broken into pieces. He realizes what has happened.

He drops to his knees in front of the orb, muttering “imsosorryimsosorryimsosorry” and “nononononononono” under his breath. He is unresponsive to attempts at interacting with him. Light is bending near him in strange ways, giving him an unearthly appearance.

Just as you are about to leave the room, a voice is heard

“Hey.. it’s him!”

A group of swatchlings and other darkners have found Ralsei and have come to imprison him for the chaos reeked upon cyber city

“...Wh-what? ...What are you doing?!”

He is visibly distressed, although not entirely lucid

“G-... g-get your hands off me...”

His body begins to glow

“....GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF OF ME!”

White flash, cut to black. When the screen is revealed, the room is stained periodically with blood and dust, surrounding Ralsei are the remains of those trying to arrest him. They are, beyond any reasonable doubt, dead.

“What... what happened?! Did I...”

Hazy Images flash through Ralsei’s head. Images of him breaking someone’s neck with his scarf, images of him blowing somebody’s brains out with a focused shot of light fired from a finger tip, etc.

“...No, no, that con’t be right-“

Backup arrives

“Oh... oh god... LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Black out again, coming to in a different room, surrounded by more carnage. Kris is no where to be seen. For whatever reason, the SOUL is now following Ralsei.

After the first few killings of the murder spree, it’s like a damn has burst in his head and he can’t seem to stop himself.

More Swatchlings and other darkners come and try to stop Ralsei, starting a fight. No matter how you choose to resolve the fight, either with mercy or violence, the outcome is the same: blacking out and coming to in a different room surrounded by more blood, more dust, more remains, more carnage, with more violent imagery flashing through Ralsei’s head.

Before each time Ralsei blacks out, Kris can be seen in the background desperately trying to catch up to Ralsei

All the while, Ralsei is panicking and loosing control of himself.

“GET AWAY FROM ME! PLEASE!” In both fear for himself and those around him.

You encounter Swatch and fight them. It’s a difficult boss fight of course. A bit of swatchling lore here and there. But eventually they fall like the others

Afterwards, the sequence crescendos, with bloodied rooms blinking by at fractions of a second.

Overwhelmed and traumatized, Ralsei collapses to the ground, clutches his head, and screams.

Our perspective cuts back to Kris. Ralsei is no where to be seen.

When we finally encounter Ralsei again, it is clear he has finally been fully broken

His clothes are bloodstained, and when we first see him, he is stoic and entranced

When he notices Kris, Ralsei abruptly switches to a “happier” appearance.

He seems to be maintaining (or at least trying to maintain)  a veneer of his usual lighthearted, optimistic self, but it has been twisted and warped beyond recognition, reminiscent of Spamton or Jevil

Later on, Ralsei kills the Queen in her boss fight

And so that is, as of now, the entire Puppet-Prince route AU! I hope it was good! You can feel free to add on and/or make fan-art of if you want, I’d be absolutely ecstatic! I’m always open to feedback!

[iidsch]

Game theory or whatever but I was watching yet another gameplay of deltarune and when I read this line it pumped my brain juice

This happens right after the battle against Lancer ends. The segment starts with Ralsei telling Kris to think about what Susie is doing, which at first looks like a cool way to transition from one character to another, but these words made me think that maybe there's a second intention behind it.

One of the main themes Deltarune seems to be going for is the idea that the player controls the characters, sometimes against their will. Spamton's arc was about being controlled by an external force and wanting to be free, ultimately to his demise. Kris also looks pretty distraught after the battle ends, for reasons unknown. And In both endings, Kris rips out their heart and acts on their own - although we can still control the heart. Even in this scene you can't make Susie move or fight, as she does it by herself, but you do control the little heart. All of this points heavily to the idea that the player and the main character are different entities, that Kris is a vessel for us - represented in the heart - to play the game, but they retain their thoughts and are aware that they are being controlled.

And if you take all of that into consideration, this line takes on a different meaning. It doesn't look like a continuation of Ralsei's last line before the transition ("Close your eyes, and think about what she's doing now...), but rather the continuation of a completely different conversation he and Kris were having while you were not looking.

So what if... what if Ralsei telling Kris to think about what Susie is doing was not directed at them, but at you. What if they wanted you to look away so they could discuss something you shouldn't know about. Because they are aware of your constant presence, and that you're a threat to them, so Ralsei schemed a plan to have you leave them alone for a few minutes, and get the chance to talk, the two of them alone.

It is also highly possible that only Ralsei and Kris (as well as Spamton and Jevil) are aware of this. In the scene after Spamton NEO's battle, Susie comments that what just happened was really weird, and doesn't understand it at all, but Ralsei brushes it off, like we should just forget it and move on. Susie notices Kris's distress and asks them if they're okay. If you say yes, Ralsei once again tries to end the conversation, and if you say no, he hugs Kris and tells them to not worry too much. Whatever your choice is, Ralsei seems to not want to bring any attention to it, a very odd reaction to have after such a bizarre encounter.

This conversation, alongside Ralsei's line on the image above, makes me think that they know exactly what Spamton was talking about. They know there's someone controlling them, some omnipotent and omnipresent entity that escapes their knowledge. A threatening entity that is always watching them, so they have to come up with a plan in secret and hide their true intentions to be able to carry it out, and take down what seems to be the true antagonist of the game.

And that antagonist is you.

[inkdemonapologist]

[BatIM Call of Cthulhu Masterpost]

nEW SESSION (summary here!), where there’s been an unexpected development to the music issue and its time to [checks my notes] taLK TO THE PROPHET AND BREAK INTO SUSIE’S APARTMENT??? Also, the Prophet and Joey have made.... a truce(???), Prophet is concerned Sammy isn’t going to stay on task now that music is returning and has left him a sort of alarming note, and Jack is uh, trying to hold, too many things, maybe some things he shouldn’t be holding, Jack please put those things back,

anyway heres a stack of out-of-context quotes from our session under the readmore:

[Sammy is played by me, Joey is played by Boo (inkyvendingmachine), Henry is played by Maf (inkcryptid), Jack is played by Mochi (whatyouwantedmetosee) and Thren (haunted-hijinxer) is our GM!]

[Jack] My favourite thing is, there are so many reasons that Henry could've avoided things that I have no idea WHY Henry isn't affected. [Jack] Like, is he not affected because his art isn't a performance? Is he not affected because he warded his house? Is he not affected because he'S FILLED WITH GLOWING BLOOD?!?

[Jack] He got as far as feeding his cat, and I feel like feeding cat isn't a performance-- [Sammy] Not usually, not unless you sing a song to your cat, which-- [Jack] Awww! [Sammy] -- which, now that I've said that, sounds like something Jack would do actually,

[Sammy] Ohhhh, that's right, Joey just heard some people play some bad notes and start panicking, and then he stood up and passed out, [Jack] Which is probably how Sammy feels every time he hears people mess up music!

[GM] He finds news on the radio, but they’re not talking about that right now. [Joey] What are they talking about? [GM] Something mundane; business or sports or something. [Jack] The, the sportsball team, got a…..uh….. a, a point. Congratulations, sportsball,

[Joey] If the sportscasters sound normal, then Joey is instantly VERY ANGRY.

[Henry] Henry’s not very musically inclined, but he knows some songs, [Sammy] Like, can you hum Twinkle Twinkle Little Star -- [Jack] “Anyway, here’s Wonderwall.”

[Jack] Jack has made a vague list of the kinds of people who seem to be affected. [Jack] There’s also “NOT HENRY?????” with a bunch of question marks in this list.

[GM] He’s told that Peter is out of town for a week. [Jack] Hmm. [Sammy] PETER WHERE ARE YOU GOING? [Jack] Hmmmmmm. [Sammy] Jack, is Peter coming here, to check on you, [Jack] HMMMMMMMMMMMMM,

[Sammy] *exasperated* NPCs Stop Getting Involved In The Occult Challenge [Henry] Stop Getting Involved In The Occult Or Draw 25

[Joey] Peter had never seen a Bendy cartoon, and this needed to be fixed. [Joey] The premier is this weekend, and he sent tickets to Pete to correct this, error, in his ways. [Jack] ...I think it is very slowly dawning on Jack, that this means that Pete has been pulled directly into yet another… supernatural nonsense... [Sammy] WE DIDNT DO THIS ONE!!

[Sammy] I CAN’T BELIEVE PHONES ARE THE ANTAGONIST OF THIS ADVENTURE

[Henry] Oh wait--! oh, no, nevermind, I forgot he and Allison probably aren’t together yet. [Sammy] Yeah, I think they just met; they had a meet-cute where they found out they both like Frankenstein and that’s it. [Jack] They actually got married today, since nothing else was happening at the Studio, [Sammy] That’s why Allison hasn’t shown up, she was busy getting married!

[GM] Bendy might’ve been keeping tabs on Henry, but it depends I guess on how distressed Joey is seeming. [Joey] Joey is probably just going to bury his sorrow in studying magic. [GM] Okay! That’s fine and normal Joey behaviour!

[Sammy] Sammy will note that nothing got done in the music department, because he has good priorities.

[Jack] I like the idea that it’s just like, when the teacher isn’t in, and nobody does the work the substitute teacher gave you, [Jack] Everyone’s just playing pokemon in the back, [GM] I thought you were going to say “poker,” but I like the way you ended the sentence better.

[Jack] HMMMMMM. I wonder if we know, any suspicious women, who were around on that specific day, who are known to have, skill and interest in magical things,  [Joey] And also were aware of the cutouts, [Sammy] *cheerfully* Yeah, weird! Anyway!!!!

[Jack] Sammy was acting weird about Allison. Far too agreeable for a Sammy!

[Sammy] *talking about Prophet* If you want to lock him in somewhere, or restrain him, I’ll cooperate. [Jack] Just handcuff him to Jack! [Sammy] SAMMY IS UNEASY WITH THAT PLAN, [Jack] *laughing* What could go wrong! It’s not like Jack is significantly less strong or anything!!

[Jack] Not everyone makes up their entire self, Joey!!! (Affectionate)!!

[Sammy] I give my word, my sheep! [Henry] How good is your word? [Sammy] I mean. It’s pretty good.

[Henry] Henry’s trying to decide if it would be rude to doodle during this very serious conversation. [Jack] I mean, Jack is taking notes, so I feel like-- [Joey] --you can get away with fake note-ing. [GM] No one will know! [GM] Well, Bendy will know, because he’s up high. [GM] Ceiling Bendy

[Sammy] He’s not gonna give you a grade afterwards, like, this isn’t a lecture, [Jack] Time for Prophet Pop Quiz!

[GM] What’s Prophet writing? [Sammy] Um, I gotta think about this... [Jack] “Dear Frightened Shepherd, that Allison person sure is nice, isn’t she?” [GM] “What’s up with everyone ragging on her?” [Joey] “I think I have finally found a way to bridge the gap between us!” [Jack] “I think you need to replace your sheep, they seem kind of suspicious for no reason,” [Jack] “To Do List: Get Better Sheep”

[Sammy] Does this feel like something that’s trying to take his focus, like, very compelling creative ideas? [GM] Yes. [Sammy] ...Prophet will write “don’t get distracted” five more times.

[GM] His mind is abuzz with thoughts of dancing and actoring, [GM] Ideas to be the best Joey ever! [Jack] Oh no.

[Joey] He will wave at the cutout and make a “come here” motion. [Joey] Though also, he’s looking at the cutout like, I’m not quite sure how this works, but I’m going to trust you that it works! So I’m going to do this and see if Bendy shows up! [Jack] Like someone trying to learn how to do phone video calls for the first time, [Joey] YES. Joey’s actually like really close to the cutout, and the motions -- you can make them out, but it’s really awkward,

[Sammy] They’re in no danger. I will take care of the Shepherd’s sheep. [Jack] ...JACK’S BEEN DOWNGRADED!! He’s no longer PROPHET’S sheep!

[Joey] I like how everything Prophet says really just feels like, Knife Cat face.

[GM] You could probably make a Mythos roll to figure it out. [Joey] *rolls* Oh! Extreme success! [GM] Joey’s back!

[GM] Bendy will lead Joey back to the room, where hopefully there are three alive, non-fighting boys!

[Jack] Part of me was like, “What if Jack DOES turn into a cat…?! It’d be pretty hard to write things!” [GM] *laughs* We’ll keep that in our back pocket, in case Jack ever fails a Mythos check. [Jack] Meowthos check…

[Henry] I’m going to have Henry look, look with his Special Eyes.

[Sammy] *failing a roll* Prophet is just, NOT on the ball today, in any way shape or form. [GM] Really hard not to think about music. : ) [Sammy] Ohhhhhh boy, [Jack] Prophet just writes a note to Sammy that says “HOW do you LIVE like this???”

[Henry] Henry’s gonna try to scribble what he remembers of the symbol!  [Sammy] Didn’t we learn, from the last scenario, about reproducing weird symbols, [Henry] No.

[Joey] Did Joey get burnt? [GM] Make a dexterity roll! : ) [Henry] *mumbling* Y’all this entire building is made of wood. *Joey fails* [GM] 1 point of damage, you singe your hand -- on the plus side, you kind of were holding it as it burned up, so it doesn’t fall on the wooden floor. [Sammy] OH GOOD, we’re not LOCKED IN A CLOSET that’s about to burn down? GREAT!

[Joey] We could head over to the infirmary -- [Jack] Jack is already pulling the burn ointment out of his bag. [Jack] He’s prepared this time! [Jack] He’s been practicing, he knows what you’re all like,

[Joey] Joey will give him a smile that’s most recognisable as the “I know you will do good!” smile. [Sammy] Prophet will also smile! It is not a friendly smile. [Jack] It’s a “smile” in quotation marks, but it’s like, baring your teeth as an act of aggression. 

[Jack] Jack lets him go to do the call, but just before he picks up the phone, he says, “Don’t call him Petey.”

[GM] The phone rings, and is not answered. [Joey] Okay! Joey hangs up, says Peter checked into his room, but is not answering. Most likely asleep. [Jack] Half of my brain is going, “what if he’s just stood outside Jack’s house?” The other half of my brain is concerned about manias. I hope he’s not decided that now is a really great time to do more writing, and now he can’t stop, and this could go wrong-- [Jack] This is what Jack’s mind is doing, thinking of all the terrible possibilities. [Joey] While humming. [Jack] ...yes. He’s writing some very troubling lyrics.

[Sammy] *talking about Jack’s compulsive humming* Like Cornifer, [Jack] *starts humming Cornifer’s theme* Dangit, now it’s in my head, why would you do this to me? [Sammy] It’s in character! [Sammy] Method acting. : )

[Joey] Joey’s going to grab supplies to make sure Bendy can… hang around with them! [Joey] Sleepover supplies! Let’s grab your sleepover bag! :D

[Sammy] I don’t know why the idea of a wild Bendy running around across the rooftops is so cute to me… [GM] Probably on all fours, [Jack] Scampering,

[Jack] It’s a good thing Henry’s around because I don’t think Jack can… carry??? An entire Sammy??? [Jack] Like he’s good at holding but he’s not strong at holding.

[Joey] We’ve all been acting terrible for the last 24 hours… [Joey] WAIT. We’ve all been acting terrible for the last 24 hours!!!

[GM] Bendy hides under a blanket or something. [Jack] Comfey… [GM] Cozy boy, [Joey] Bendyrito. [Sammy] BENDYRITO,…….. [GM] Rolled up… snug...

[GM] Is everybody coming into the apartment, or just the two? [Jack] Hmmm….. Jack isn’t fond of either of these options. Going in is suspicious and weird; staying outside makes it look even more like they’re breaking in, to steal things, as opposed to, y’know, breaking in, for,,, “good” reasons(???) [Sammy] We’re not breaking in, we’re just walking into this apartment! What’s so weird about that?! [Jack] That’s breaking in. That’s what breaking in is, Sammy. [Sammy] They don’t have to know that we don’t belong here, maybe Susie gave us a key! [Jack] ...they heard us knocking. [Sammy] [Sammy] We’re BEING POLITE!! SHUT UP!!

[Henry] Jack, did you pick up kleptomania.. [Joey] I thought Jack picked up Being Prepared! [Jack] H-he’s just hoarding a little bit!! It’s fine!!! It’s very, useful, see, already Joey got injured!! It was useful to bring lots of things with him okay!!!!!!!!!

[GM] They do not have the police called on them, so that’s nice. [Sammy] Oh good! [Jack] Thank GOODNESS. [Henry] Love when that happens! [GM] If you guys got arrested, the Lurker’s just out in the car all night, [Henry] oh NO, [Jack] Worse punishment than jail… [Joey] Lurker learns how to drive for fun. [GM] *laughs* Gets curious, [Joey] “I said I wouldn’t leave the car, but--”

[Joey] WAIT. There’s a very important factor that we just decided but didn’t say. [GM] Oh? [Joey] If we have Henry heading home, and everyone else sleep over at Jack’s…. [Joey] ...the Lurker finally gets to meet a cat. *everyone gasps* [Jack] Oh that’s SO important

[Henry] And Henry will probably look at these, while in the car, to make sure they don’t have any gold writing on them-- [Sammy] Isn’t Henry driving??? [Henry] ……Henry is not going to look at them in the car,

[Sammy] We’re all going to bed, Sammy, you don’t need a banjo to sleep! [Joey] You might sleep worse if you have a banjo, actually. You might not stop.

[Sammy] Jack you wanna join us? We’re gonna just jam all night! [Jack] It really is Jammy… [Sammy] *laughs* TRUE Jammy!! Real Jammy Hours… [GM] That makes it a pyJAMa party… a real jammy jam…

[judas-isariot]

Media analysis on : deltarune ch2 - damsell in distress and subversive knight.

Okay, so I need to point this out because I feel this point is being miss a bit and it's too bad, I love it. There is a big sub-theme on Chapter 2 about the idea of knighthood and damsell in distress.

Noelle is portray from the start of chapter 2, to you, has a damsell in distress. She is litterally in distress after an attack then capture by a evil queen, do I need to say more ? This is the reason you start to hunt the queen down in the first place.

However the story change when Noelle start to be independant. Noelle join your team, first just to escape the queen and need to be help with mice puzzle. Then she is a full on member of the team, acting by her own.

But there is 2 kinds of knight in this story :

You (kris) and susie, the good hearted knight who doesn't look so much like knight and the usurper knight, the one who pretend and look like a knight but is nothing of the sort, Berdly.

Let's start with berdly. He believe he is in the service of a good and benevolant queen, he is with Noëlle in the start of the aventure and clearly, treat her like he object destin to be wife. What he see, is a group of 3 not heroic looking being trying to ruin a benevolent future, when Noelle escape, he assume Kris capture and keep her in hostage. Berdly misinterpret what happen. To add to injury:

play has a knight,

believe he is one,

defend the queen and attack whi he deem not worthy (not smart)

even put an amphasis on it with word sentence like "Knight in dark shining armor"

But the catch is, he clearly doesn't act like one and isn't one for those reason:

Berdly clearly doesn't get the queen point sure, but he don't act for the queen interest, he act for his own interest (creating a world only for smart people)

He attack innoncent people who aren't on his side. He attack Kris and Susie cause he don't like them, sure, raisel ? Why raseil ? And beside raisel, he have clearly help to capture and torture/transform other.

He doesn't listen, he never listen, he monologue. Not only kris, but the queen and mostly Noelle.

I am going on Noelle because it's a huge chuck: He don't see Noelle has a person and don't treat her as such. He see noelle has a princess to save, a damsell in distress. He don't like Noelle, he like the idea to have possess a woman and only care about her being "smart" like him. He don't love a woman, he want to "pimp a lady"

On noelle, he doesn't listen to her when she try to avoid a battle, yes, he also attack her, Noelle even acknowledge it "He hit me in the face with a tornado". Bro, who save a princess by breaking her nose !? And I know (I am in your house, i listen to you) some of you will say "it was accidental", it is not ! Berdly way "I am sorry Noelle, It might hurt" he also acknowledge he is going to attack her.

So I get over the point Berdly is a not a knight and a terrible person in general, But who is the knight ? There is 2 options here (depending on the route and opinions) but there is one I prefer to the other.

Kris (you) might be a knight, let's quickly go over some point :

He is the protagonist

He is the second character to have a knight look with berdly

Blue is a "good guy" color theme

He is silent sure, but willing to help

He notice Noelle being kidnap and want to save her too.

He fight against an evil ruler

But in game like Deltarune who subvert expectations, you know it is not the one who interest me. No, the one who his a closet to be a subversive knight representation and you probably didn't notice, it's Susie. First let's see why you didn't notice and why it's subversive:

Susie clothes are one of a bad guy, spike everywhere, dark clothes

Reptilian are more often shown has antagonistic (bowser, snakes in bible, reptile people) she is a Crocodile/aligator Monster.

Look like a butch and queer coded vilain

Use an axe, a weapon mostly used by persecutor

Purple is a bad guy color, in opposition to blue

Rude and mean girl~

However, she is the one of all the character who is shown to have humanity toward Noelle, here is my point:

When Susie notice Noëlle is capture, she is the first to yell and protest her capture. She even run after Noelle a bit when is taken away.

Susie care about Noelle for real.

Susie listen to Noelle, that sound dumb, but Kris, we don't really know. Berdly clearly not.

Susie talk to Noëlle and by talk I mean, in a "conversation" like they exchange. Even when she don't get it (see the roller coaster scene) Susie is clearly lost but she listen and answer.

Susie tell Noelle at the best as she could what happen so Noelle isn't lost and it bring me to my biggest point

Susie threat Noelle has Noelle. She is not a princess to her, neither she is an object to possess or a peon. She is Noelle, she is a person to Susie. We learn Susie never pick on Noelle because Noelle give a pen when she need it and to Susie helping Noelle in the darkworld is a way to thank her back. There is no second though or interest in her behavior. Just helping someone who helped me.

Also She is the only one who save her, in a litteral sense.

I love how Toby fox take trope modernize it and subvert it and I could continue but I already write alot (and maybe I should add screenshot) but I might do a whole part 2 later. Thanks for reading, if you want more analysis and theory, watch my stream, I also might make other theory and analysis on my tumblr about deltarune soon.

[ratpoizonz]

wait the aftermath of the spamton neo boss fight is actually really horrifying when you look at it through kris' eyes. and it explains why ralsei reacts to it the way he does, he doesn't quite understand what's going through kris' head at all. and neither does susie. she's just as unnerved, yes, but doesn't seem to exactly be experiencing what kris is at all

kris is a puppet controlled by the player, correct? it's heavily implied that, with only the soul moving with your own commands in the bird cage, and kris tearing out their soul twice, just for a bit of control of themselves. and spamton is also a puppet, obviously. the aftermath of the neo boss fight when you defeat him through acting shows what happens to him if an attempt is made to free him of his strings. and kris realizes that the same exact thing may happen to them, which is fucking horrifying. like imagine wanting to be free, and then you find out that your idea of being free and released from your strings is uh. the exact opposite of your idea of being free, for a lack of a better term. kris literally gets goosebumps after the boss fight. if you answer "no" when ralsei asks if you're ok, then kris apparently yells it, as shown since ralsei then responds with "kris..? you're yelling" which just goes to show how upsetting it is to kris. and i mean???? i'd be extremely distressed too?????? like what the fuck

like holy shit i can't get over how horrifying of a situation it is to be in if you actually think about it. you really can't help but feel bad for kris huh

[grechsblog]

Now I’m just picturing Ralsei asking who exactly are the other 2 humans and Kris goes *My brothers

Ralsei chokes on air. "You had more??"

* Uh, no, they kinda became like that... Along the way..?

They pause, thinking for a moment.

* What do you mean 'you had more'?? Are you accusing me for having siblings!?

"No, Kris, I'm accusing you for having so many siblings!" Ralsei wailed. "It was bad enough when you said The Player was your family-"

“hey!”

"-but now theres two more humans! Where did you even found them!?"

"Would you believe if they reply 'a murder-mystery pizzeria'?" Gregory said, not straining his attention from tic-tac-toe session he has with Tommy. By the looks of it, they already were on the second round.

Ralsei blinked.

"A what."

"Oh, you know, murder-mystery? When you try to find the killer in some weird place before he murders you?" He did a dismissive gesture. "Yeah, so combine that with pizzeria where everything moving is also wants you dead and you get the picture."

"Does murder-mystery works like that though?" Tommy asked, drawing another circle with a smile full of triumph. Gregory growls and draws another board; looks like it's about to be round three. "Not that I'm fucking aware more than you are, but ain't you supposed to find it in the group?"

"Do I look like I care?"

"Nope."

"Then shut the fuck up."

Tommy snorted. "Har-har."

"Why are you arguing about that!!!" Ralsei howled. "And language, both of you!"

That, finally, made Tommy and Gregory look at Ralsei's distressed face. They exchanged glances, and Kris saw that mischievous glint even before they spoke.

"Bitch?" Gregory asked, faking naivety.

"Bitch." Tommy replied, agreeing.

Ralsei hid his face in his hands, while Kris tried to control their snickering.

"Are all humans like that?" Susie asked Player, clearly confused, but interested.

“no.” They reply. “but these are special.”

[ghoooooooooooooooost]

i watched a playthru of deltly runes ch 2 alt route (spoilers under cut)

tldr; 

- kris n noelle :(.... 

- susie i care you 

- hmm! spamton

um thoughts in order

first off: NOELLE... KRIS... I’M SORRY :(((((( BERDLY I’M SORRY :(((((((

this route is so fucked bc you’re forcing kris to force their friend to kill ppl since she’s the only one who can actually do that, it feels so much worse than ut’s murder route

secondly: 

i noticed this in the normal run too but its interesting how susie always notices when kris is distressed n was the one (in the normal route) to want to address the secret boss after it happened but it feels like ralsei kinda downplays kris' problems? to me at least

like ralsei's suspicious amount of knowledge n not turning to stone aside, it def feels like he's trying to brush things off at times, susie shows more concern imo. also i feel like ralsei is aware of the player 

susie shows a lot of concern for noelle too. despite being a bully at the beginning of ch 1 susie really does cares for her friends as this story goes on

thirdly:

HHHMMMMM spamton is not “”innocent”” like i thought but i still think that’s (probably) gaster’s (or some other force we don’t know abt) fault.

like why would he go so far as to influence you to make noelle kill more just to be a “big shot”... you’d think if he wanted to have power/fame he wouldn’t want Everyone to die? that’s a level of extreme that only flowey reached, he must know abt something we don’t (i mean he does know there’s an ‘audience’) n if he wanted to be free... again, why all that?

also pipis

fourthly:

ooooo kris oh no kris :(

reusing the “you called for help” from ut’s flowey fight n changing it to “kris called for help”, cementing the fact that kris is not the player n that they don’t want to do this n that they’re terrified of spamton...... ow

lastly:

BERDLY ARE YOU OK? ARE YOU /SRS OR /J BERDLY GET UP BER

[happybunnykat]

hits you right back with the micheal and uhh :lc take a side of apollo justice and a large susie deltarune (character opinion ask game)

Alright, here we go!

Michael!

First impression: Fanf 1-3: Dang this guy must be broke as hell. Fnaf: 4 Wow what a fucking asshole. SL: THAT'S PURPLE GUY? (It wasn't)

Impression now: ooooooohhhhgggg blorbo. *Puts him in a blender*

Favorite Moment: Him vomiting up Ennard and then just standing up afterwards was pretty funny ngl.

Idea for a story: I have SO many oh my god. I want him to get a chance to patch things up with his siblings most of all tho so that's kind of what Rewinds about. Plus other things but you know.

Unpopular opinion: He wasn't scooped until after the first game.

Favorite relationship: Okay, my FAVORITE relationship with him is Charlie and him being absolute besties. Romantically tho it's Jeremy Fitzgerald.

Favorite Headcanon: Post scoop his hair turns white. Also in ucn when all the ghosts of the children William killed are getting their revenge he gets to watch.

Apollo!

First impression: You are not Phoenix Wright -_-

Impression now: Short king I love him. I want to feed him a gummy bear.

Favorite moment: When he sees Klavier distressed in the end of the last case and is like: I need to pull him out of the darkness... with the TRUTH!

Ideas for a story: idk, I like the idea of him and Trucy doing shenanigans together. That's always fun, whether or not murder is involved.

Unpopular opinion: He's bisexual. *ducks and hides*

Favorite relationship: I am very partial to Klemapollo but Klapollo is also good.

Favorite Headcanon: He is trans and also is diabetic.

Susie!

First impression: Oh she's kinda mean :/

Impression now: Susie!!! She's so cool and also funny and kinda rude still but who cares she's so epic and nice now she deserves everyone to be her friend.

Favorite moment: When just picked up and chucked Ralsei that was really funny

Idea for a story: I had some ideas about her and Kris sneaking out late just watch the stars and chill. I think they would do something like that together.

Favorite relationship: Krusie, either romantic or platonic. I just care their relationship so much...

Favorite Headcanon: I really like the idea that she and Ralsei are both eggs about to crack and non-binary Kris is just. Internally screaming constantly about how CLEARLY they are both trans but just can't seem to realize it. But also I like her being transfem and Raleigh being transmasc so like either way. Definitely not cis tho

[emy-loves-you]

Sanders Sides AU-gust Day 3: Soulmates

Your shadow is the current silhouette of your soulmate. Only you and your soulmate can see your shadow. Shadows of animals and objects (non-humans basically) can be seen by everyone. Most people have human soulmates that grow up with a human shadow. Logan is not most people.

Logan POV, Intrulogical, Prinxiety and Moceit

Day 2 | Masterlist | Day 4

Logan was smart.

At just four years old, Logan could count to one thousand, tie his shoes, and knew how to read books meant for kids twice his age. Logan knew other things too. He knew that the earth moved around the sun, not the other way around. He knew that Mrs. Smith didn’t like Mr. Smith and that they were getting a ‘dee-vorce.’ He knew that rainbows were like giant water mirrors. And he knew what soulmates are.

Soulmates mean different things to different people. They appear as shadows, but your shadow is actually your soulmate’s shadow. Logan didn’t really understand how that worked, but he didn’t ask about it. Mama’s shadow disappeared when she was little, and she doesn’t like to talk about it. Logan didn’t understand why Papa married Mama if they weren’t soulmates, but he didn’t ask. Because Logan was smart, and he knew that if he asked about their soulmates, they would ask about his. And while Logan didn’t know a lot about soulmates, he knew that his shadow was different.

Logan’s soulmate was big. Bigger than Mama and Papa. Sometimes Logan would lay in bed and his soulmate’s shadow covered him like a blanket. It made him feel safe and protected. One time Logan was almost hurt by a big doggie, but the dog saw Logan’s shadow and ran away. Logan knew that big shadows weren’t good. He heard about how Susie from down the street had a ‘peddle-file’ for a soulmate. But Logan knew that his soulmate wouldn’t hurt him.

Sometimes the shadow would change into something smaller, closer to Papa’s height. Sometimes the shadow grew so big that Logan couldn’t see the end of it. But most of the time, Logan’s shadow stayed the same size and shape. Logan knew it wasn’t normal to have a soulmate that changed shape. He knew it wasn’t normal for his shadow to have long, spindly arms with pointed fingers. He knew that most shadows didn’t have long devil horns, or give off an aura that scared all animals and most humans away. Logan knew that Mama and Papa wouldn’t understand if he told them.

Because Logan was smart enough to know that his soulmate wasn’t human.

-----------------------------------------------------

Logan was brave.

Most people wouldn’t see that at first glance. Logan was a 17-year-old nerd. He was such an oddball that even bullies steered clear of him (Logan never commented on that. He knew it was his soulmate’s aura scaring them away. Which was interesting since human shadows don’t have detectable auras). Logan always had his nose in a book. Most people expected him to be a teacher’s pet, but Logan never answered questions. He never reached out to others, and he never spoke unless he was spoken to, so most people didn’t know how brave Logan actually was.

Even those who considered themselves close to Logan didn’t see him as brave. In fact, most people saw him as emotionless. He rarely smiled or spoke out of turn. He was the perfect child in terms of behavior and intelligence, but he never showed signs of actually enjoying the world around him.

But there was something that Logan enjoyed: his shadow. While it was disappointing to have no one to talk to about his soulmate, Logan wouldn’t give his soulmate up for anything. It was fascinating to watch, and every time Logan interacted with his shadow he felt safe and loved. Most people would scream if their shadow’s jaw unhinged to impossible lengths, most likely to swallow something whole. Logan watched with rapt attention, itching to write it down. He never recorded anything about his soulmate, paranoid that someone would find it. Instead, he attempted to memorize every new detail on his soulmate. His soulmate was 8 feet tall exactly, with an extra four inches added for the horns. While his largest form was immeasurable, his smallest form stood at 6 ft 6 in with no horns to see. Logan assumed that this form was meant to mimic a human, though he had no other data to support that hypothesis. Logan’s soulmate was also extremely fast, occasionally moving its limbs at a speed that Logan couldn’t track with his eyes.

Logan participated in activities that made sense to him yet baffled others. He spent hours holed up in his room, his shadow comforting him as he read a book. He ran for an hour every afternoon, though he had no interest in joining any races. He also went to the gym every other day. Logan’s logic behind this was that he needed to be quick and strong in case his soulmate meant him harm (this was a lie and Logan knew it. Not only did Logan still believe that his soulmate wouldn’t harm him, he also doubted that he could physically run away from a creature that could potentially travel at inhuman speeds, much less fight one. The truth was that Logan wanted to have something vaguely in common with his soulmate). While Logan liked to read philosophy and chemistry books, he could also be seen reading books on soulmates, fairytales and cryptids. While Logan did not believe that humanity was aware that Logan’s soulmate existed, he hoped he would one day find something that would even slightly match his predicament.

Logan was actually reading another book about soulmates as he sat under the apple tree outside of the library. The tree’s shadow loomed over him, but Logan could still easily see his soulmate’s silhouette. He wasn’t sure if that was a soulmate-thing or a my-soulmate-isn’t-human-thing. That’s actually why he was reading this book: Everyday Occurrences for Soulmates. It was mainly a description of how soulmate customs were treated around the world, but Logan hoped that it would give him more insight into how human shadows should look and behave.

“Get back here, freak!” Logan’s head snapped up to see another teen run past him. Logan vaguely recognized the patchwork hoodie from his biology class. Virgil Storm, Logan’s memory supplied. Emo and social outcast. Logan watched as another group of teens chased after him. Virgil continued to run until he tripped and fell. Logan stood up as the gaggle of teenagers approached Virgil. This won’t do at all.

“What do you think you’re doing?” The teens looked afraid for a moment before they turned and saw Logan approaching.

The one in the middle laughed. “Run along, nerd, before you end up like this freak!” Micheal Scott, if Logan’s memory was correct (it always was). Senior, quarterback, was held back three times. 

Logan continued to step forward, ignoring the way his shadow lashed around his ankles. “Virgil has done nothing to warrant your ire, Micheal.” This was true; Virgil talked less than even Logan did. Other than being exceptionally talented in art, Virgil was essentially a nobody (and while Logan knew that looks could be deceiving, he- like everyone else- saw reason to interact with Virgil).

Micheal scoffed. “Of course he does! He’s a freak and he deserves to be put in his place-”

Now, Logan was very smart. He knew that acting violently would most likely result in negative consequences. But Logan also knew that Virgil didn’t deserve Micheal’s… anything, Micheal’s an asshole. But either way, Logan knew what it was like to be the odd-one-out. And while Logan was nervous of the consequences, when he heard Micheal call Virgila freak, Logan’s bravery shined through.

Logan was satisfied to feel Micheal’s nose break from under his fist. Those visits to the gym were actually useful. Huh. Logan watched impassively as Micheal fell down to his knees. Logan kneeled so that his face loomed just above Micheal’s. Micheal started shivering, and Logan couldn’t tell if it was him or his shadow that was causing him distress. He also didn’t care. “If you even look at me or Virgil the wrong way I will not hesitate to make your life a living hell. Understood?” Logan’s voice remained cold and emotionless. While his surge in confidence was making him slightly uncomfortable, it produced the intended outcome. Micheal blanched before scurrying away. It took only a look to get the other teens to do the same.

Logan knelt down next to the now safe teen. “Are you alright?” He held out his hand for Virgil to grab.

Virgil stared at the hand in shock, seemingly surprised that someone had stood up for him. “Yeah, thanks.” He took the offered hand, pulling himself up onto his feet. His sketchbook fell out of his hand, which Logan didn’t realize was even there. Logan bent down to grab the sketchbook for Virgil when he froze.

The sketch was of some kind of fae/eldritch horror combination. The creature’s face was youthful, appearing to be a man in his early twenties. Its arms were long and spindly, and his nails were sharpened to a point. It wore a white prince suit with a red sash. But what really grabbed Logan’s attention was the pair of devil horns that sat on top of its head.

Logan looked up at Virgil, who was suddenly pale and shaking. “Virgil, what was your inspiration behind this piece?”

Virgil grabbed the notebook and shook his head. “It’s nothing, just a nightmare I had. Nothing more.” He went to walk away.

Logan grabbed Virgil by the hoodie sleeve. “Please do not lie to me.” Virgil stared at Logan in horror. Logan stood there, feeling his desperation claw at him. “Please,” He whispered. “Please tell me I’m not alone.”

Because Logan was brave, and he didn’t want to be alone anymore.

--------------------------------------------------

Logan was observant.

While his observations didn’t help him in finding his soulmate, it did help him take care of his two new (and only) friends.

Virgil Storm apparently had a soulmate similar to Logan’s, as did Virgil’s best friend Patton Heart. Virgil also had a nightbond, a rare form of soulbond that allowed soulmates to visit each other in their dreams. Apparently, the creatures did not have a name for their species. Roman, Virgil’s soulmate, appeared to have very little knowledge on his species. While this did disappoint Logan, he was still grateful to have someone to share his findings with. After knowing each other for over a year, the trio were never seen apart, finally having friends who weren’t scared away by their shadow’s dark auras.

Virgil and Patton both had similar opinions to Logan on their inhuman soulmates, mainly that it was more fascinating than terrifying. Virgil was interested in the darker aspects of their soulmates, while Patton was just happy that he had a soulmate. Logan grew to care for the two teens. While Virgil was quiet and awkward around others, Logan learned that he was actually very snarky and cynical. Patton pretended that life was perfect, but Logan had seen enough to know that Patton only genuinely smiled when thinking about his soulmate. Logan had become quite protective of the two, as his shadow tended to scare off more potential threats than Virgil’s or Patton’s did.

Logan was currently running around the perimeter of the highschool as he waited for his friends to finish their activities. He had asked if they would like to join him, but Patton was asthematic and Virgil detested running. So, it had become a common occurrence for Logan to do his running while Patton and Virgil participated in their after school clubs.

Logan allowed his mind to wander as he completed another lap. He was disappointed that he’s so far unsuccessful in terms of meeting his soulmate. None of them had met their soulmates in person, even Virgil. According to Roman, the creatures had a much deeper connection to their souls compared to humans. He had also said that the creatures wouldn’t be found by their soulmates until “our loves are ready.” Ready for what, Logan didn’t know. But that didn’t stop him from exhausting every possible way to find his soulmate.

Logan saw a flash of yellow and almost tripped over his feet. Not stopping as to draw suspicion, he glanced towards the forest behind the school and saw something… odd.

Standing at the edge of the treeline was a man. He was tall and young, probably in his mid 20s. He wore an impeccable black suit with yellow accessories, which was odd since he appeared to have came from the forest. Logan followed his gaze and just as the gym doors opened. Patton sprinted out of the school, most likely grabbing something from his car. Logan watched as the man’s gaze followed Patton as he walked towards his car. Logan tsked as he darted into the treeline, attempting to not be spotted. The man was stalking Patton, and that was not acceptable. But Logan was observant, so he’d learn more about the man before making his move.

Logan had just reached where he’d last seen the man when he noticed something important: his shadow wasn’t moving. Any time Logan was heading towards potential danger, his shadow would move erratically around his feet, as if it was trying to stop him. Any time potential danger was heading towards him, Logan’s shadow would lash towards the danger, it’s natural aura deterring most creatures. But his shadow wasn’t moving. It was calm. Complacent.

Logan was so busy analyzing his shadow that he almost hadn’t realized that the man wasn’t there. Logan felt a chill go down his neck and he spun around, to find himself less than a foot away from the man. Logan stifled the urge to scream. His shadow wasn’t acting up, and Logan trusted his soulmate to protect him. But now that he was almost touching the man, Logan quickly realized something. How his smile was a hair too wide. How just standing close to him made Logan’s fight-or-flight reflexes go haywire.

Logan was observant, but it didn’t take much to realize that this man isn’t human.

Logan cleared his throat as he forced himself to articulate a response. “Hello. Might I ask why you’re trespassing into a high school to observe minors?”

The man looked guilty (bullshit) as he spoke. “I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met before.” He held out his hand, presumably for Logan to shake. “My name is Declan Brown. I was sent by the school board to observe the school’s management of extracurricular activities-”

“Stop.” Logan suddenly said, resisting the urge to physically shake his head. A part of him was already nodding along to what he said. It’s a perfectly reasonable assumption- Logan did his best to shove the thought away. The creature obviously had a talent in mental manipulation.

The (not)man gaped for a second. “Excuse me?” He seemed shocked. The thoughts became more intense and repetitive.

Logan started rambling, less focused on his words and more focused on getting Declan’s (that’s probably not his name) manipulations out of his head. “Stop lying to me. No member of the student board would support stalking a minor from the school’s perimeter. Check up on your human facts before stating such a bold lie. And will you shut up with the thoughts!” Before Logan could acknowledge what he had said, the thoughts ceased completely.

The creature looked at Logan with unguarded curiosity. “Who are you?”

Logan crossed his arms as he ignored how terrified he felt. “My name is unimportant for this conversation. Now I’ll ask again: Why are you stalking my friend?”

Logan’s shadow chose that moment to respond, shifting forward so it brushed against the creature’s ankles. Logan then realized that not only did he seem to acknowledge Logan’s shadow, he also didn’t have a shadow. Which means that he has a soulmate. The creature stared at the shadow before laughing. “Ah. That makes much more sense.”

Logan frowned. “Please answer my question.”

The creature’s smile seemed more genuine as he held out his hand again. “Call me Janus. I was sent by Roman to check on his soulmate. And I wanted to check on my soulmate at the same time.”

Logan blinked as he processed the information. The creature knew Roman, so it was most likely the same (or similar) species. And since it was staring at Patton…

Logan grabbed Janus’ hand, giving it his firmest shake. Logan was not submitting to this creature. “My name is Logan. I assume you are Patton’s soulmate, correct?” At Janus’ smirk, Logan tightened his grip. “If you harm him in any way- physically, emotionally, you name it- I will find a way to make the rest of your existence a living hell.”

Janus laughed as he also tightened his grip. “He’s gonna LOVE meeting you.” Logan remained impassive, knowing that a single sign of weakness could cause his end.

Because Logan was observant, and no way in hell was he letting his friend get hurt.

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Logan was loved.

Logan never really realized that. Sure, his parents said that they loved him, but Logan never really depended on his parents the way most children did. When Logan had a question, he read a book. When Logan was scared, his shadow protected him. When Logan was hurt or lonely, his shadow would comfort him. Most people depended on their parents to raise them. Logan raised himself. Most people saw shadows as a way to find their soulmate. Logan saw his shadow as a friend.

Maybe that’s why at 21 years old Logan confidently (and drunkenly) states that he’s never felt true love. Sure, he’s felt kindness and support (Patton and Virgil) but he’s never felt love. Sure, some nights he has long conversations with his shadow and lets himself believe that the way it twists and turns means that his soulmate can hear him. Sure, he sees Janus a few times every year (Logan knows by this point that Janus is letting himself be seen. Logan never told Patton about meeting Janus and they have yet to officially meet. If Janus wanted to be seen by Patton or not seen by Logan he could) and every time he begs to learn more about his soulmate. But that’s not love (he never says that around Janus. The creature can smell lies like Logan smells Patton’s perfume).

Maybe that’s why he drunkenly kisses a stranger at his 21st birthday party, ignoring the fact that he’s too short and his hold doesn’t feel safe.

Maybe that’s why when he goes to visit Patton weeks later and sees only a note that says His name’s Janus he crumples it up and throws it away. Maybe that’s why when Virgil texts him the same day simply saying Found my soulmate TTYL, Logan lets hope claw its way through his chest. Maybe that’s why when the sun sets and Logan gets no sign from his soulmate he curls up in a ball and sobs. Maybe that’s why he decides that he can’t wait any longer and he leaves his shitty apartment in the middle of his shitty town and heads towards the shitty forest that he knows is empty but he has to try.

Maybe that’s why when Logan’s so deep in the forest that he can’t find his way out and the moon hangs high over his head and he hears wolves in the distance he doesn’t get scared or sad. No, Logan gets angry. Angry at the world for rejecting him because of his menacing shadow. Angry at Patton and Virgil for leaving him for their own soulmates. Angry at his soulmate for making him believe for 21 fucking years that he had a chance at being truly happy.

A wolf broke through the tree line, lowly growling as he approached Logan. Logan growled right back, his irritation and heartbreak and anger clouding his judgment. The wolf howled, and Logan screamed. It was an odd feeling. Logan hadn’t screamed in a long time. He trusted his shadow to protect him, so he never screamed in fear.  But the way his throat burned from his anger was exhilarating.

The wolf lunged, and it took Logan a few moments to realize that it never reached him. Logan heard a satisfying crunch as the wolf head landed inches from his feet. Logan looked up and saw a monster of nightmares.

It was at least 8 ft tall, with long, spindly limbs sharpened to a point. Green horns protruded form his head, and his eyes glowed acid green. His bloody teeth stretched into a too-wide grin, and Logan did not smile back.

Instead Logan screamed again. But it wasn’t out of fear (never out of fear). It was out of anger, and exhaustion, and relief, and something else that Logan couldn’t name. He lunged at the creature, wrapping his arms around the black and green tunic as he continued to scream. The creature continued to smile, using his too-sharp claws to hold onto Logan’s back. And Logan broke. He started to sob, losing the ability to stand as he leaned further into the creature’s chest.

They stayed there for almost an hour, Logan sobs being the only sound in the vicinity. Eventually, the creature spoke up. “It’s nice to finally hold you, Logan.” Logan continued to stay silent, burrowing his face into the creature’s chest. “My name is Remus. I know that it hurts, but you weren’t ready until now. I wanted to come get you the moment I saw your shadow, I swear. But I’ve always been there, even though ya couldn’t hear me. And I promise I won’t leave ya ever.”

Logan felt himself smile as he relaxed further into the creature’s his soulmate’s hold, listening to Remus babble out apologies and promises. Logan allowed himself to finally feel. 

Because even though this was the first time they touched, Logan knew this wasn’t the first time they’d met. Remus had always been there to support Logan, even if he was hiding in Logan’s shadow. He was always there, and even though Logan was hearing him for the first time, Logan knew that he was in love with Remus.

And as they separated and Remus asked if Logan was okay, Logan let himself admit it. “I love you.”

And Remus repeated him, with no doubts or uncertainty. Because even though Logan refused to believe it before now…

Logan was loved.

[mwolf0epsilon]

PUT THE HEADCANONS IN THE BAG! Tell me everyone's height, build, and how/what they'd do in a fight.

Joey Drew - 5'11", slim build with a weakness in the right knee (carries a cane and later on is wheelchair bound). Pre-Ink, he's pretty much defenseless, you're basically bullying a crippled old man. Post-Ink, I wouldn't recommend fighting him because he knows how to control his abilities (including shapeshifting) and his cane is actually a cane sword. He will mess you up.

Henry Stein - 5'6", short and stout with very bad arthritis and back issues. Pre-Ink, you're a monster for bullying poor soft grandpa. Post-Ink, if you piss him off you're going to get beaten up. He'll let you go when he feels like you learned your lesson tho.

Linda Stein - 6'12", built like an amazon and skilled in both fencing and kickboxing. She will demolish you.

Sammy Lawrence - 6 feet exactly, human form was pretty slim but Prophet form bulked up considerably. Pre-Ink you could take him on, but he made up for lack of muscle with pure ferocity and wasn't opposed to fighting dirty (biting and scratching). Post-Ink he can easily lift a person off the ground one-handed, and he has no qualms cutting people down. Fight at your own peril.

Jack Fain - 5'4" as a human, quite chubby in build. Diminished to 3'5" as a Swollen Searcher. Pre-Ink, why would you hit Jack?! Post-Ink, what is wrong with you?! Congratulations, no matter what form you fight him in you're a monster!

Susie Campbell - 5'2" and chubby build, can pack a punch if she needs to. Grew to 6'2" and slightly slimmer build as Twisted Alice, and is a lot stronger than she looks. Pre-Ink, sure fight her but expect a broken nose, you jerk. Post-Ink, leave that to Allison maybe... Susie isn't a damsel in distress.

Norman Polk - 6'12" and build like an absolute beast, despite his age he could annihilate anyone in the studio if he felt like it. Grew up to 7'2" and bulked up even more as the Projectionist. Pre-Ink, he'll kick your ass and scold you afterwards, the shame burns worse than the bruises. Post-Ink, oh my god please be my guest and fight him! Fight him so you can fail miserably for my entertainment!

Allison Pendle - 5'9" and petit feminine build, very agile and energetic. 6'2" as Allison Angel, and somewhat more feisty. Pre-Ink, she'd talk you out of fighting her. Post-Ink, you better be good at sword fighting! She'll skewer you like a hecking kebab.

Thomas Connor - 6'2" stocky build and used to both hard labour and defending himself in a scrap. Diminished to 6 feet as Tom Boris, but has considerably enhanced strength. Pre-Ink, oh boy get ready for a walloping! Post-Ink, do you not see the gosh dang metal arm?! He'll demolish you faster than a vault door...

Wally Franks - 5'3" and stout build, a compact little unit! He's a typical lad from Brooklyn with a lot of questionable family members, and he will wrestle you to the ground if he doesn't trust you. You can take him on, but you'll not leave unscathed.

Shawn Flynn - 5'7" and slim built, but this man has the ire of the Irish on his side. As the Boss Searcher he's 6'8" at crawling height, do not test his patience! Pre-Ink, get ready for a brawl, expect it to be quite the show! Post-Ink, please leave him alone, he's just trying to defend his workshop. You can take him on but expect his fellow Searchers to be upset!

Grant Cohen - 5'11", used to be a little overweight before losing a tremendous amount of weight out of stress. He's diminished to 3'5" as a Searcher and somehow looks bony. Pre-Ink, what is WRONG with you?! Post-Ink, what is WRONG with you?! God you're just a monster, aren't you?

Buddy Lewek - 5'5" and slim, very bony build. Got up to 6 feet as a Boris and his strength has been enhanced as well. Pre-Ink, why the hell are you bullying this poor kid? Post-Ink, he'll break your hand and run for it. Just leave poor Buddy alone, he's suffered enough.

Dot - 5'6" pretty average build in general, slightly chubby. She dropped a projector on someone's head, and attacked a demon. If it means surviving she will fight dirty and maim you.

Abby Lambert - 5'9" and average build. Grew up to 6'7" as a Lost One, and is still as agile as she used to be. Pre-Ink, she can throw a good punch and she knows where to hit. Post-Ink, wow you definitely want to be a kebab! There's also the horrifying possessive monster following her around like her personal demon. For your own safety, do not fight Abby.

Doc Hackenbush - 6'3" very stocky and chubby build. Not much of a fighter though. Remained the same height as a Lost One, but appears a little chubbier. Pre-Ink, sedative time! Post-Ink, sedative time! He's a doctor, genius...

Bertrum Piedmont - 6'2" and an absolute unit of a man. God only knows how massive he is as the octopus ride. Pre-Ink, you can take him on mostly due to age advantage. Post-Ink, have fun! 50-50 with this guy!

Lacie Benton - 6'3" with an average build, strong arms and legs tho. Diminished to 6 feet as the Bendy Animatronic, but then again she's made of frigging metal. Pre-Ink, you can take her sure, her ulcer makes it a little easier on you. Post-Ink, if she's fully assembled, I'd run. She's made of metal dang it.

Emma LaMonte - 5'11" and built like a professional ballerina. Her legs are POWERFUL. As the Giant Bendy Hand she's absolutely massive. Pre-Ink, get ready for a mule kick from hell. Post-Ink, you might need a bigger boat and a bigger gun than a tommy gun. She's gonna drag you down into the inky depths.